Uis Namibia

Gateway to the Brandberg and Damaraland

Aerial view of Uis and the Old Mine

Tourist Information Centre

Your first views of Uis will be of the large white mine dumps. From
commencement of mining in 1924 to the closure of the mine in 1990 some
35,000 tons of high grade Tin Ore Concentrate was produced. The open
pit mining operation at Uis was notable as it had the reputation of being the
largest Hard Rock Tin Mine in the world. The closure of the
mine in 1990 dealt a financial below to the area, but the year also
witnessed the country's independence and Namibia became more
accessible to foreign visitors.

Early Morning at the Brandberg

The natural beauty of the nearby
Brandberg along with it's wealth of world famous
Bushmen rock paintings,
including the famous White Lady of Brandberg mural,
attract researchers and tourists alike. There are in excess of 45,000
Bushmen Rock Paintings figures of animals, glyphs
and man to be found on the mountain. You will find the staff at the
local tourist office friendly and informative. There are good B&Bs and
camp sites at Uis. Shopping is limited, but the town has a small
supermarket where you can stock up. Fuel, tires and repair
facilities are available.

You'll find a good selection of accommodation in Uis,
and the Tourist Info Office is worth a visit.

White Lady of Brandberg: A National Heritage Site. Guided tours only. It
takes a 45 minute hike to reach the Maack Shelter where the mural is
situated. This painting remained the most controversial piece of Bushman
Rock Art for several decades, and was erroneously named The White Lady
Of Brandberg. The mural is a fascinating piece of
ancient art giving us an insight to Bushman culture over 2000 years
ago. Time budget 2-3hr ►►

Twyfelfontein is a large Sandstone rock face with a
shelf on, which can be found an unusual group of rock-formations etched
by the desert winds. Twyfelfontein is also the location of the largest single
display of Bushman
Rock Engravings in the world. Over 2,500 depictions of animals,
humans and strange and mystical glyphs on 200 rock slabs plus rock paintings. It
is a National Heritage site and is subject to Guided Tours only.
Time budget 1-2 hr ►►

The Burnt Mountain: Unusual
Geological phenomena. In prehistoric times organic material accumulated on the
bottom of a lake bed. This was later covered by sedimentary deposits and buried.
During the Break-up of Gondwana hot magma pushed upwards and when coming
into contact with the organic material baked it. The remaining rock is quite
colourful in certain sunlight conditions. Time budget 30min ►►

Organ Pipes: Unusual Geological
feature similar to the Giant's causeway in Northern Ireland. About 125 million
years ago when Gondwana
was dividing into Africa and South America the earth's crust in this
region was subjected to a great up-thrusting of molten
rock which formed into polygon shaped pipes owing to surrounding
constrictions.Time budget 30
minutes. ►►